THE WORLD'S GREATEST TRAIL"Worn deep and wide by the migration of three hundred thousand people, lined by the graves of twenty thousand dead, witness of romance and tragedy, the Oregon Trail is unique in history and will always be sacred to the memories of the pioneers. Reaching the summit of the Rockies upon an evenly distributed grade of eight feet to the mile, following the watercourse of the River Platte and tributaries to within two miles of the summit of the South Pass, through the Rocky Mountain barrier, descending to the tidewaters of the Pacific, through the Valleys of the Snake and the Columbia, the route of the Oregon Trail points the way for a great National Highway from the Missouri River to Puget Sound: a roadway of greatest commercial importance, a highway of military preparedness, a route for a lasting memorial to the pioneers, thus combining utility and sentiment." -- Ezra MeekerFROM THE OFFICE OF HISTORICAL DOCUMENT ACCESS AND ARCHIVES: Imagine, if you will, the great undertaking that Ezra Meeks approached -- first, as a newly married young man with a desire to strike out on his own, and then, as a man with most of his life behind him. In his old age he approached the return to the Oregon Trail with a life of experiences behind him. He knew, as he traveled from Washington State to Washington D.C. in his covered wagon, that he would bring attention to the preservation of The Oregon Trail. He could not have known, however, that his advocacy would continue to grow and inspire future generations.The Office of Historical Document Access and Archives is proud to bring this heritage title to a new generations of readers. It is also available as an e-book, with text-to-speech capability for sight disabled readers.